Evaluation of the chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive potential of triterpenoids from Poria cocos

Abstract

The aim of this PhD project is to examine efficacies of triterpenoids from P. cocos against human cancers. This PhD work starts with separation and isolation of triterpenoids contained in alcoholic extract of P. cocos using flash column chromatography. In total, one novel triterpenoid and eight known triterpenoids were identified and their anti-cancer effect was screened using human cancer cell lines. The following chapter studied apoptosis-inducing effect of polyporenic acid C, one of these triterpenoids, on non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. In addition, the involved apoptosis pathway and possible molecular mechanism were explored. In the next chapter, pachymic acid, another triterpenoid, was examined for its possible effect on carcinogenesis with focus on its effect on arachidonic acid signaling. The last chapter explored the potential of these compounds against cancer cell invasion using an in vitro model.